Phish says bye at Alpine lovefest June 28, 2004 - Capital Times (WI) By By Rob Thomas EAST TROY -- Phish is running out of "greater than" signs. The mathematical sign meaning "more" is perhaps the most important identification mark for the Vermont jam band's legions of fans. On set lists, the little arrow that opens to the left denotes the point at which the band spins off a song into one of its trademark improvised jams. They're in short supply now. Phish announced at the beginning of the summer that it was breaking up in late August, and the band's sold-out show Saturday at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy was its seventh-to-last ever. But the mood among the 40,000 ticket holders in attendance (not to mention the throngs who hung around in the parking lot with their index fingers in the air, hoping to buy a ticket) was anything but funereal. Fans cooked out on portable grills behind their cars, danced in their own drum circles and grinned their way through the long lines to the will call window or the security checkpoint. One woman offered free hugs to passers-by; another offered a considerably more graphic physical act in exchange for a ticket. Once the show began, the amphitheater was packed with a roiling sea of revelers who blissfully danced to more than three hours of music. While college-age fans were most common, there was a healthy sprinkling of older fans, perhaps former students who came back with their wives (and, in some cases, kids) to see the band one last time. It wasn't a particularly revolutionary or earth-shattering Phish show, but it was a strong and satisfying send-off for the band at Alpine Valley, a regular stop for them for years. The first set began with the new song "Access Me" and built to a churning finish with "Funky Bitch" and the stormy "Character Zero," which featured a galvanizing guitar solo by Trey Anastasio. Highlights of the second set included the gently funky "Story of the Ghost," which spiraled into an agreeable jam that featured both an organ solo and a piano solo by keyboardist Page McConnell. The glorious "Free" sent ripples of energy throughout the crowd, and one wonders if, at heart, the band's innermost feelings about dissolving could be best expressed by that song. It's not that they seem tired of being in Phish; the four band members still exhibit visible camaraderie and chemistry together onstage. And the rapport they have with fans was still there, evident in the crooked smile on Anastasio's face as he sang to the crowd. But there's something fundamentally at odds between Phish's commitment to improvisation and creativity and the physical behemoth that the Phish phenomenon has become. Listening to the band members' solo projects, or even the excellent new "Undermind" CD, you sense a wandering musical spirit at play. And it's hard to wander while surrounded by 40,000 people, even if those people love you. Article Copyright © 2004 Capital Times